He’s only about six months late to the party, but Chris Pine has finally decided to have his say on the whole Harry Styles ‘spitgate’ saga.
Remember all the Don’t Worry Darling drama? How could we forget.
If you cast your minds back to early September 2022, you may recall that 28-year-old pop icon Harry Styles ventured into acting by taking on his first leading role in the drama film Don’t Worry Darling – which is directed by Olivia Wilde, and stars Oscar-nominated Florence Pugh, as well as Nick Kroll, Gemma Chan, and KiKi Layne.
Oh, and of course, Chris Pine.
The film was released to mixed reviews at the end of September, but premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival and grabbed a whole host of headlines in the process.
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We’d be here all day if we tried to sum up all the drama and controversies surrounding the film, but by far one of the most talked-about moments from the festival was, bizarrely, the question of whether or not Styles spat on his co-star Pine as he sat down in his chair to watch a screening of the film.
/ Credit: Twitter
Caught live on camera, Pine’s shocked reaction to the supposed ‘spitgate’ interaction had fans convinced that it happened, and only added to the growing rumours that there was a rift between the two men.
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The footage subsequently went viral online, and racked up millions of views – seeing people weigh-in with their opinions in their thousands.
With hysteria around the situation growing, Styles first addressed and quashed he claims live on stage at Madison Square Garden – laughing it off and joking with the audience that “I just popped very quickly to Venice to spit on Chris Pine – but fear not, we’re back.”
And now, Chris Pine has had his say… after six whole months.
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In a new video interview with Esquire while promoting his upcoming film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Pine revealed what actually went down between the two – and even admits that he himself can see why so many people believed the interaction.
But no, we all know by now, it didn’t actually happen.
“Harry did not spit on me. Harry is a very, very kind guy,” Pine begins as tells Esquire.
“It does look, indeed, like Harry spitting on me. He didn’t spit on me,” Pine added, before going on to explain: “I think what he said is, he leaned down and he said ‘It’s just words, isn’t it?’. We had this little joke.
“We’re all jet-lagged, we’re all trying to answer these questions. Sometimes when you’re doing these press things, your brain gets befuddled and you start speaking gibberish. And we had a joke: ‘It’s just words, man.’”
We’re not quite sure we had jet-lag down as a potential reason for one of 2022’s most-talked-about moments, but if that’s we’re being told by the two men themselves, then what else do we have to go off?
Let’s finally just put it to bed now.
Featured Image – Esquire (via YouTube)
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Neighbourhood Festival’s return to the city centre is looking great with after revealing second wave
Danny Jones
Neighbourhood Festival’s city centre all-dayer is returning to Manchester for 2026 after a year off, and with the second wave of the lineup having just dropped, it’s looking very promising.
Following teasers over the past month or so, it didn’t take long for us to figure out that NBHD Festival was coming back, especially with the Weekender in Warrington having taken a similar hiatus in 2024.
However, when festivals like these take time out, it can be easy to worry whether or not they’ll lose momentum or come back stronger.
Judging by this follow-up batch of acts alone, there’s no doubt NBHD Fest ’26 will be another cracker.
As you can see, as well as the fast-rising grungey alternative and garage rock quartet, KEO, being announced as one of the first big hitters on the list, there are some other familiar names on the lineup.
Especially for us Mancs.
With both Bolton and Altrincham youngsters, Florentenes and The Guest List, both joining the roster, as well as the likes of Bury-born ‘rockabilly’ revivalist Elliot James Reay also featuring on there, there’s a good deal of local talent to be enjoyed as always.
That goes for the regional delegation in general, too, with the likes of Jos River heading back up this way from her base in London, and Leeds’ fittingly named indie four-piece, The North, also booking a slot.
We’ll admit there are plenty of bands and artists coming up from the capital for the all-day festival, but at least they know where the UK’s real home of music is.
For instance, we’re buzzing to see the Red Rum Club boys returning to the NBHD stage once again – they never disappoint, and there are so many other guaranteed top performers on the bill. And that was just this year’s Weekener…
It’s worth reminding, once again, that since its inception in 2016 (yes, it really has been a decade now), Neighbourhood Fest has continued to serve as a proper launchpad for the next wave of superstars, not just here in the North West but across the country.
We still remember seeing the likes of Sam Fender, Holly Humberstone, Declan McKenna, Mahalia, The Lathums and more – some for the very first time – on these city centre stages, and it’s crazy to see how big some of them have gone on to become.
Set to take over some of Manchester’s most iconic venues along the Oxford Road Corridor once again, this is, without a doubt, one of the best dates for independents on the annual live music calendar.
Hosting a total of 11 stages on Saturday, 17 October, for a full day of live music, tickets for this year’s Neighbourhood Festival are on sale now right HERE.
And if you’ve already sorted yours, why not read our review of NBHD Weekender ’26 down below to get you in the mood for the next two editions.
Major DJ forced to pull out of Parklife festival on doctor’s orders
Thomas Melia
A well-known techno and trance DJ will no longer be playing at Parklife this weekend, he’s announced, with just one day to go until his major set.
Anyone heading to Heaton Park over the weekend for Manchester-based festival, Parklife, may notice the lineup looks a little different after one distinctive DJ has pulled out due to doctor’s orders.
Marlon Hoffstadt, who also goes by the moniker ‘DJ Daddy Trance’, was expected to play out on the Matinée stage on Saturday 20 June from 6.30pm – 8pm.
The Germany-based act was taking to the decks right before Manchester’s own Morgan Seatree, who has become recognised for his material which is an ode to house music and is likely to be one of the busiest sets of the weekend.
Hoffstadt had two gigs this weekend; the first being Parklife in Manchester and the second Fête de la Musique in Paris, both of which he has since pulled out of in a newly-published social media announcement.
The Berlin-born music maker has reluctantly called off these upcoming appearances and justified his decision by saying: “As much as I hate missing shows, I need to put my recovery first”.
To much dismay, Hoffstadt received doctor’s advice who deemed him ‘currently not fit to fly’ following surgery, urging him to rest and recover.
Marlon posted today: “I’m so sad to have to share this, but unfortunately I won’t be able to play Parklife in Manchester and Fête de la Musique in Paris this weekend.
“I recently had a surgery and, following my doctor’s advice, I’m currently not fit to fly and need rest and recover.
“I know many of you made plans and were looking forward to it, and I’m so sorry to let you down.
“As much as I hate missing shows, I need to put my recovery first so I can get back to doing what I love as soon as possible.”
As much as the presence of this world-class performer will be missed, there’s still plenty of notable names set to make their mark on Parklife including Zara Larsson, Calvin Harris, Skepta and more.
The outdoor big music weekender has established itself as a rave haven with mainly dance artists and DJs making up its lineup through a variety of curated b2b sets and live performances.
If you’re after immersing yourself in some jungle music, Bradford-native Nia Archives will have you transfixed over at The Valley with her jungle-heavy tunes from 6.30pm – 7.30pm or there’s three more stages to take your pick from.
We’re sure that anyone eager to see the ‘Hands Up In The Sky’ producer live may be frustrated by this brand-new social media announcement however as Hoffstadt mentions it’s so he can “Get back to doing what I love as soon as possible”.
Emily Sergeant -
2nd March 2023 
